


Not Surprised

by TheShadoweye



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Finds Out About Merlin’s Magic (Merlin), Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Merlin is horrible at keeping secrets, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-08 04:05:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18886837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShadoweye/pseuds/TheShadoweye
Summary: Arthur is a mixture of shock, disappointment, betrayal, and a thousand other emotions he couldn't name. So why didn't his knights even look a little bit surprised?





	1. Chapter 1

 

 

 

Arthur stared at Merlin without really seeing him.

It wasn't like Merlin had changed from the moment Arthur had been wishing him awake to now, where Arthur was thinking about every other person in the room. Several questions swirled through his mind, but he couldn't ask until Merlin was conscious. Still, there was one he could.

Had they known?

Gauis had, that Arthur knew. But Gwen? And the knights? It wasn't that Arthur doubted their loyalty, or that any of them had been acting shifty, suspicious, or guilty. It was just that none of them were surprised. At all. About a sorcerer hiding in Camelot. Where sorcery was illegal. 

"We need to talk." Arthur decided and strolled out of the room.

* * *

 

_It had been a regular patrol._

_Well, mostly. Leon and Arthur had agreed the day before to bring Mordred, and he spent most of the patrol riding backwards on his horse with his bleachers inside out. Other than that, though, it was a regular patrol._

_They left the castle, rode out, were attacked by bandits, defeated said bandits, gave Merlin a harsh time for not helping defeat said bandits, listened to Gwaine's ramblings and Merlin's complaints, settled down in the forest for the night, ate, and then went to sleep. Arthur was woken for his shift at the right moment by the right knight, and woke the right knight at the right moment when his shift ended._

_They had another attack in the middle of Elyan's shift, but this time it was mercenaries, not bandits. Skilled mercenaries too._

_With a lot of sweat, sword clashing, and yelling, the Camelot patrol came out victorious._

_"Everyone alright?" Arthur called out. Leon, Elyan, Gwaine, and Percival all said more-or-less that they were fine._

_"Mordred?" Arthur asked. No reply. Arthur couldn't see him either - though it was dark and cloudy, so he could barely see anyone. Where was he?_

_"I saw him fighting with a mercenaries by the creek." Leon stated. Arthur looked in the direction he thought the creek was - he could somewhat hear the water - but didn't see any motion._

_"And where's Merlin?" Gwaine asked._

_"He's right-" here. Arthur looked back to where he assumed Merlin was, but no one was there. "I, I don't know. Where was the last place anyone saw him?"_

_"I think I saw him near the creek." Elyan said._

_"The same creek Mordred was at?" Gwaine asked. Elyan nodded. "Well, that's not a good sign."_

_"Indeed." Arthur agreed. "But at least we should be able to follow both trails at the same time."_

* * *

 

Everyone stared expectantly at Arthur, so he took a deep breath and started speaking.

"We have all been caught up on the events of our latest patrol, correct?" He looked at Guinevere, the only person in the room who hadn't been there. She bit her lip and nodded.

"So, as you all know, Merlin had a... surprising secret he enlightened us with." He paused for a second when he noticed a nervous energy pass in the room. "So, tell me, why weren't any of you surprised?"

_Now_ they looked guilty.

* * *

 

_Being attacked once was to be expected. Twice was fairly common as well. But three times in one patrol?_

_Not that that was what Arthur had been thinking when he heard a crossbow go off behind him._

_He and Elyan, who had been standing next to him, ducked and the bolt flew harmlessly through the air._

_"We're under attack!" Arthur yelled at his knights, who were already drawing their swords._

_The world turned to chaos for the third time in about two days. At least this time it was about noon and Arthur could see his attackers, even when it started raining._

_They were winning when the first fireball hit._

Sorcerer _, Arthur thought._ But not one with good aim.

_His knights fought undeterred, and the fireballs continuous failed to hit their marks. Arthur pulled Gwaine from a duel with a Percival-sized man and the two went to hunt down the source of the magic._

_The man was blind, judging by the way his eyes moved. He wasn't deaf, though, and Gwaine and Arthur soon found a blazing ball shooting right at them._

_That one found its mark, but Gwaine and Arthur were too quick for it to hit them._

_The next one hit the tree in front of them, as if to trap them, but it was pouring rain by that point and the only thing it managed to do was dry the tree up a little._

_The third would have been fatal had it not been for Merlin._

* * *

 "You all knew, didn't you?" Arthur finally asked.

"Arthur..." Gwen started.

"He told you?" To Arthur's surprise, everyone shook their head no.

"And we didn't know," Elyan added. "Not for sure."

"But you guessed?"

Elyan nodded.

"How?"

* * *

  _The fireball hung in front of Arthur for a moment before disappearing._

_Arthur looked around, trying to understand what just happened. The blind sorcerer looked just as confused._

_That's when he saw Merlin and Mordred hiding in the trees on the otherwise of the clearing._

_Well, Mordred wasn't actually hiding. He was just fighting off a mercenary in hand-to-hand combat without either of them making a sound. Somehow._

_Merlin, on the other hand, was hiding. Arthur could only see half of him, but it was enough to see his raised hand. Merlin had just stopped a fireball._

_He caught Arthur's eye, and Arthur could see fear in there. As if Arthur was going to execute him right there._

_Arthur stood there in shock, trying to understand what just happened. He probably looked like an idiot. Gwaine moved from beside him to sneak up on the distracted sorcerer, and Merlin turned to help Mordred._

_It was until Gwaine pulled Arthur out of the way of a fourth fire ball that he even moved._

_Merlin yelped loudly, and someone hit something hard._

_Arthur was one his feet in seconds as more mercenaries started swarming them. He knocked on out, stole the sword, and tossed it to Mordred, who was now barely surviving three armed attackers._

_Merlin and the blind sorcerer had a quick round of who-can-shoot-the-most-fire, which Merlin won easily._

_Arthur swung and hit and tried not to think to hard about that._

_Eventually the mercenaries suffered the blow of common sense returning to them and ran away._

_Arthur looked around at his knights, all injured now. Mordred barely looked like he could stand, and Gwaine had multiple places on his head that was bleeding. All were alive, though._

_Reluctantly, Arthur turned to where he had seen Merlin last. He didn't want to look at him, didn't want to see him, not now, not ever again, but he needed to be sure he was okay, even if he didn't understand why._

_Good thing he did too. Merlin was slumped against a tree, hand covering a wound on his stomach. He was unconscious, but his chest still rose and fell._

_All the anger, shock, disappointment, and betrayal washed out of Arthur as he ran to Merlin's side._

* * *

 "In the castle of Fyrien," Elyan eventually said, breaking the silence. "Merlin ran back to help you defeat Morguase. You said her column of fire just vanished. And then his help tipping the Cup of Life. You say he's lucky, sire, but that's can't just be luck."

* * *

 

_"Are you okay sire?" Elyan asked as his horse trotted up next to Arthur's._

_They had immediately started the journey back to Camelot after bandaging Merlin. The stab wound wasn't fatal, but that didn't mean he didn't need Gauis._

_Besides, Arthur needed to_  do _something._

_"Just thinking," Arthur answered. He almost slipped right back into his thoughts when another thought occurred. Had the rest of the knights witnessed what he had?_

_"Elyan," Arthur started._

_"Yes, sire?"_

_"Did you see what..."_

_"What Merlin did?"_

_"Yes, that."_

_"I think we all did."_

_Arthur looked Elyan over. He seemed oddly calm considering everything._

_"Sire, if I may ask, what are you planning on doing?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"He's loyal, you know. He's the most loyal person I've ever met."_

_"I know. It's just... what am I supposed to do when my most loyal friend betrays me?"_

* * *

 "At first, I just thought he was extremely lucky," Gwaine admitted. "He always escaped, and it seemed whoever was with him got his luck too. The bar battle, the quest I'm not supposed to talk about, the fire, the Cup of Life, he always came out on top. And so did you, I, and anyone else that was with him. I only realized it wasn't luck after the Dorocha attacked him. He survived the improbable before, but never the impossible. Not until then."

* * *

  _"I can feel your glare, Gwaine, from all the way up here," Arthur called. He needed to say something or he would go crazy._

_I'm not glaring," Gwaine answered. "I'm watching."_

_"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not going to do a trick for you."_

_"That's not what I'm watching for, you know that."_

_"I do. But my point still stands. Merlin is getting to Gauis, Gwaine. There is no need to worry."_

_"And after?"_

_Arthur hesitated._ _"That will be decided when he's awake and can explain himself."_

* * *

 "It was the Dorocha for me as well," Percival admitted. "The Dorocha and the lamia. Merlin never seemed to get enchanted or bewitched. It was almost as if he was immune to magic. I knew from my travels that the only way to be immune to it is to have it."

* * *

  _"Percival," Arthur called. "Can you please get Gwaine to bicker. Or talk. Or just anything. This silence is driving me insane."_

_I never thought there would be a day we wanted to hear more of Gwaine." Percival commented._

_"Oh please, you know you enjoy my presence."_

_Arthur sent a thankful look to Percival, who sped up to ride next to him._

_"Actually, I was doing fine in the silence. Hearing myself think is a rare privilege these days." Elyan continued._

_"He's going to be fine, sire," Percival whispered. "Gauis has healed a million of those same wounds."_

_"I know." Arthur admitted. "That's not what I'm scared of."_

* * *

 "There was no one moment for me, sire," Leon stated. "I knew Merlin was loyal from almost the beginning, so at first I tried to turn a blind eye. But the proof was continuous. And it grew. A tree branch there, a bandit slipping here turned into rock falls and miraculous cures and people accusing him for this and that just for them to turn out to be evil. No servant, even one with Merlin's dedication, could survive two accusations of sorcery, one of theft, several battles, several attacks by Morgana herself, and who knows what else."

* * *

 

_"It's getting dark, sire." Leon commented._

_"We're almost there." Arthur replied. "There's no point in stopping now." Leon didn't argue. For once._

_"Sire, if I may ask-"_

_"What am I going to do about Merlin?"_

_"Yes."_

_"What I told Gwaine I'd do. I have to hear his story before deciding anything."_

_"Of course."_

_"Though I think if I'm being completely honest with myself, I've already made the decision. And I think you know what that is."_

_"I do, sire. But he did break the law."_

_"That's the problem."_

* * *

 "I suspected at the beginning," Gwen stated. "When he defeated you in the mace battle. Then again when my father was healed. I was almost certain. But then he must have gotten better at hiding it, and I started to doubt. It wasn't until the lamia that I started thinking about it again. It wasn't like what Percival said, that he was just immune. She hated him. It was the only thing that made sense. But even then I wasn't sure."

* * *

 

_Gwen and Gauis greeted them as they always did, standing tall and proud at the top of the stairs, despite it being well after dark._

_Until they saw Merlin. Then they were both running down the stairs to help him._

_"What happened? Gwen asked as Gauis and Gwaine carried Merlin off._

_"He was stabbed by mercenaries." Arthur said, already following them._

_"Is he okay?"_

_No, he's not, otherwise Gauis and Gwaine wouldn't be carrying him._

_"He's fine, Gauis has dealt with this type of thing a million times."_

_"Oh, I hope your right. Not that you or anyone else looks much better. Have you been riding all day?"_

_"Pretty much. We had to get him to Gauis as fast as possible."_

_"And you did. But what would he have done if you had fainted while getting him here."_

_"I'm fine Guinevere."_

_"No you're not. And you're not going to go check on him."_

_"Guinevere."_

_"You need to go to bed Arthur."_

_"She's right, sire," Leon added. "We can check on Merlin."_

_"No you can't. You all look tired and you all need to go to bed."_

_"But Gwen-" Elyan tried._

_"Elyan." She put her hands on her hips and they all knew they weren't going to win this._

_That didn't mean they stopped trying._

* * *

 

The room was quiet, but not everyone had spoke yet.

"Mordred?" The young knight looked down at his feet.

"I, I guess I just knew." No one looked convinced. "It's a Druid thing, being able to... to sense powerful sorcerers. I can't explain it pass that."

"Alright." Arthur took a deep breath. "So the next question is did you know that the rest of you knew?"

"No, sire." Leon stated.

"I talked to Gwen about it a little, but that's all." Elyan answered.

"Just Elyan." Gwen replied. Mordred shook his head no.

"I suspect one or two of the servants have an idea." Gwaine added.

"Probably. Servants tend to be observant." Gwen added. 

"I think Lancelot might have known, but I didn't figure out about Merlin until after he died."

"Does Merlin know any of you know?"

Most of the knights shook their heads. Gwen and Mordred hesitated, which Arthur noticed, which they noticed.

"I think he might have suspected I was suspecting him." Gwen answered.

"He knows I know." Mordred confirmed.

"Great, so all of you knew there was a sorcerer hiding in Camelot in plain sight, but no one told me, one of you told the queen, none of you told each other and only one of you actually confronted him about it?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Arthur?"

Merlin's voice made Arthur jump, and his quill skidded across the parchment.

"Merlin," Arthur answered. "I wasn't expecting you for another couple of days."

"Sorry." Merlin replied. He looked as awkward as Arthur felt, standing in the doorway.

"Well, come in. There's no point in you just hovering over there." Merlin took a whole three steps into the room. He opened his mouth, closed it again, looked down, looked back up at Arthur and finally said:

"Are you ready yet?"

* * *

 

_"Merlin?" Arthur asked as he crept into Gauis's chambers. Merlin and Gauis were eating at their table, and both startled when Arthur came in._

_A servant had told Arthur that Merlin was awake soon after his talk with the knights, but he hadn't had the courage to confront him until this morning._

_"Arthur," Merlin replied, placing his spoon down into his bowl. Judging by the way he moved, the injury still hurt._

_"Good morning sire," Gauis said._

_"We need to talk," Arthur stated. Merlin nervously looked at Gauis._

_"I would agree, sire," Gauis said. "You two have a lot to talk about."_

_Merlin gave Gauis a look, Gauis replied with a look, and for a couple of seconds Arthur just stood there awkwardly._

_"Fine." Merlin grumbled._

_"I will be on my rounds," Gauis stated. "I expect you two will remain civil." Gauis gave Arthur a respectful nod, but Arthur understood the undertone._

_With another look at Merlin, Gauis grabbed his bag and went to his rounds. Awkward silence followed._

_"You should know that I promised Gwaine I would hear you out before doing anything else," Arthur started._

_"That's good to hear," Merlin mumbled._

_"Would you stop mumbling? In order to hear you out, I actually need to be able to hear what you're saying."_

_"Sorry."_

_Arthur sighed and sat down at the other end of the table._

_"Listen, Merlin, you have been one of the most loyal friends I have ever known. I'm hurt that you didn't trust me, but I understand why you kept it a secret. But I need to know why you did what you did. Will you please do me that one favor?"_

_Merlin hesitated._

_"If it will make you feel better, I can go get Guinevere or Gwaine."_

_"Do they know?"_

_"Apparently, they've known for a while. All of the round table knights have."_

_"What?"_

_"They admitted it after we got back from the patrols."_

_"I don't understand. Why wouldn't they tell me they know?"_

_"They haven't been able to come up with a coherent reason." Merlin looked flabbergasted. It was almost funny, but Arthur knew they had to stay on topic. "But this isn't about them."_

_"No, it's not."_

_"When did you start studying magic?"_

_"Well, it's complicated."_

_"Not really."_

_"I've had magic since I was born, but it was uncontrolled and acted up in weird ways. So my mom sent me to study under Gauis."_

_"So Gauis taught you?"_

_"Yes. But I've only ever used it for good."_

_"I know. It's not your loyalty I'm doubting Merlin." Arthur thought for a moment. "How about this: when Gauis clears your injury, you go back home for a couple of weeks while I... process everything. When you come back, I expect the full story start from end."_

* * *

 

"I think I am," Arthur replied after thinking for a moment. He stood up from his desk and offered Merlin a seat at his table. Arthur sat down at the head, as usual.

"It started when I was born," Merlin started. "You see, for some people magic isn't a choice. I was born with it, and if I don't use it it tends to act out. Growing up in Ealdor, so close to Camelot, it was scary not being able to control it. My mom did her best to cover it up, but people started getting suspicious. So she wrote to Gauis, asking for his advice. He offered to teach to me to control my powers and to hide them from others. That's how I came to Camelot."

* * *

 

_"Sire, may I speak with you?" Gauis asked, after a week of Arthur avoiding him._

_"Listen, Gauis, I understand your concern for Merlin, but I need to hear the story from him."_

_"I understand completely, sire, but there is still something I must say. I fear that I am much of the reason Merlin has kept his secret for so long. I lost many good friends to the purge, and Merlin was like a son to me. To see him have the same fate - the idea scares me. So I ingrained in him that his secret must be protected at all cost."_

* * *

 

"When I got to Camelot, I started hearing voices from under the castle. Eventually I couldn't take it anymore and found the source: the Great Dragon."

"You knew the Great Dragon?" Arthur asked.

"Unfortunately. He's very annoying."

"Why are you talking as if he's still alive?"

"That is a later part of the story."

"Merlin."

"Anyways..," and Merlin kept talking.

* * *

 

"So you just busted in and admitted to everything?"

"That was stupid of me, I know."

* * *

 

"So Lancelot knew?"

"Yes. It was nice having him here, someone to talk to whenever things got tough."

* * *

 

"He really thinks Mordred's going to kill me?"

"He does."

"And he's convinced you as well?"

"Yes."

"You do realize he's almost half my age, not to mention my most loyal knight?"

* * *

 

"You forged Excalibur?"

"Gwen's dad made it, I just forged it in a dragon's breath."

"You say that like it's a small thing."

* * *

 

_"And now you're wondering if you should go back?"_

_Merlin hadn't wanted to call the dragon to Ealdor, but he needed advice and his mother was stressed after the whole burning the village down thing. So he had._

_"You think I should?" Merlin called back._

_"I have told you many times, young warlock, that you and Arthur are inseparable. Do you really think your friendship can be broken this easily?"_

_"You act like this is a small argument. He knows about my magic!"_

_"In the grand scheme of things many things that seem large are small indeed. You should know this by now."_

* * *

 

"So you defeated Cornelius by manipulating him into trying to possess you?"

"Yes."

"Wasn't there a better way? I mean, if you are as.. powerful as you sound, then it would have been awful if he had succeeded."

"I needed him out of Cedric's body for the spell to work. Anyways, after that I think the next thing was..."

* * *

 

"That was stupid. You could've trained her, saved her!"

"I know, trust me. I would have to but everyone kept telling me not to. Eventually the dragon got to my head."

* * *

 

"You switched the potions. Merlin, that was actually kind of smart!"

"I am much more intelligent than you seem to think."

* * *

 

"So I ran in and stopped you." Merlin finished.

"You kept me from killing my father, even knowing everything you did?"

"You killing Uther wouldn't have fixed anything."

"He was a hypocrite."

"And he was the king. A prince killing a king never ends well."

* * *

 

_"You know, living like that must of been hard," Gwen wondered out of the nowhere._

_"Who living like what?"_

_"Merlin. Living under Uther."_

_Arthur paused. He had never really thought about that. All of the anti-magic rants, all of the accusations, and all of the times Merlin had helped saved him - that must have been hard._

_"Yet he never seemed bitter about it." Gwen stated._

_And how many times had Arthur contributed to that? What had Merlin thought of him when he had him arrested? When he admitted to killing those druids? Whenever he had some spill about magic being evil?_

_Arthur shook his head clear of the questions - they would all be answered when Merlin came._

* * *

 

"We will not talk about this."

"I don't know, that was pretty funny."

"I was dumbed down to an idiot by that enchantment."

"Like I said, pretty funny."

* * *

 

When Merlin finished talking, he looked down at his hands. Arthur just stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Balinor was your father?" Arthur asked. Merlin nodded. "If you're a dragon lord, why couldn't you keep the dragon from attacking those first couple of days?"

"A son only receives the gift of a dragon lord when his father dies." Merlin answered, still not looking at Arthur.

"So you did everything you could to stop the dragon?" Merlin nodded.

"But I still let it loose."

"To prevent even more deaths. If you had not done what you done, Camelot would have been lost that day."

"So many people have died because of it."

"Sometimes we can't avoid death. You did what you needed to do."

* * *

 

_"Merlin," his mother asked. "Is there something you're not telling me?"_

_One look at Hunith's face was enough for Merlin to know he wasn't getting out of this, so he put his bowl down and thought of a way to tell her._

_"Arthur knows."_

_"Arthur knows?"_

_"He caught me saving him from a fireball."_

_"Did he seem mad?"_

_"Not really. Just stunned I guess."_

_"That's... good."_

_"Is it?"_

_"Merlin, you have been nothing but loyal to Arthur. I'm sure he knows that."_

* * *

 

"You were stunned by a serket? I thought those were deadly."

"Normally they are. If it wasn't for Kilgarrah..."

* * *

 

"So Elyan was right. You were the one to disperse Morgause's flames."

"Did you think they just exploded on their own?"

* * *

 

"So that's why you were so adamant to go on that quest with me."

"And yet you yelled at me."

* * *

 

"You. Are. Dragoon?"

"Yes."

"I... don't understand. Didn't he kill my father?"

"Arthur, Morgana killed Uther. I did my best to save him, but it backfired."

"No, Dragoon killed him. I watched him!"

"You watched me put a healing spell on Uther that didn't work. I promise you I did my best to save him."

"Why would you?"

"Why would I what?"

"Save him?"

"Because I wanted you to see that magic is good. Change your mind. So I acted rashly and it ended up killing Uther. I'm sorry."

* * *

 

"Did you really need to be saved by Gauis?"

"Oh shut up. I didn't see you going after The Cup of Life."

* * *

 

_"How do you think he did it?" Gwaine wondered aloud in the armory after practice._

_"Do what?" Elyan asked._

_"Tip the Cup of Life. I mean, did he just go in there and magic it down, or did he have to fight Morgause or Morgana, or defeat soldiers?"_

_The whole armory stopped at that. It was a crazy thought._

_The more the knights talked about it, the more Arthur realized how powerful Merlin was. But going up against Morgause?_

_"And why hadn't Gauis told Merlin about the Cup of Life beforehand?" Leon questioned. "If he knew that Merlin could tip it?"_

_"Hadn't Gauis said that he hadn't thought of it until we left?" Elyan asked._

_When Arthur had caught up with Lancelot, Merlin, and Gauis, it was to find that they had found the key to defeating Morgause and Morgana and tipped the Cup of Life by themselves. Gauis had explained that he hadn't remembered that legend until after they had left, and had only been able to find Lancelot and Merlin, hence why they were the ones to attack the cup._

_"Maybe Gauis had already told them," Percival added._

_"But why did Gauis need to go?" Elyan questioned. "Merlin is obviously capable of taking care of himself."_

_"Gauis was probably just making sure that Merlin didn't trip and fall and knock himself out before he got there." Arthur decided._

* * *

 

"The biggest of your mysteries, and you can't tell me anymore than you already have?"

"I told you I just woke up feeling fine. I don't know what happened."

"The touch of the Dorocha is deadly, but you just woke up feeling fine?"

"Yes."

* * *

 

"Why didn't you tell me about the necklace?"

"I didn't think it mattered. I didn't think much mattered at that point."

And Arthur found himself realizing that Merlin was right.

* * *

 

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Being an idiot and letting yourself being talked into trying to steal a dragon egg!"

* * *

 

Arthur was honestly trying not to laugh.

"You just walked over them?"

"Aging spells are tiring."

* * *

 

"You did what?"

"You were being an idiot and not leaving. If you had stayed the kingdom would have been lost!"

* * *

 

_"You need to do this," Hunith said, sensing Merlin's hesitation._

_"I know." Merlin replied. "I guess I'm just scared."_

_"You have nothing to be scared of." Hunith gave Merlin a confident smile. "Now go!"_

_And so Merlin went._

* * *

 

"And then I was stabbed." Merlin finished.

"You really are an idiot." Arthur concluded. The conversation lapsed into silence.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Well for one I'm not going to be letting you slack off on your chores. I expect my room to be as clean as it is now. But I do believe a raise is in order."

"Really?"

"Of course. You are obviously doing so much more than your duty. Maybe we need to find a new position for you now. Of course, that won't come for a while. Until then I expect you to be in my chambers tomorrow morning with some nice breakfast."

"Yes sire."


End file.
